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2014 American rescue mission in Syria
| place = Uqayrishah, near Ar-Raqqah, Syria | result = Operational failure; eventual execution of several hostages | combatant1 = (unconfirmed) }} | combatant2 = | commander1 = Barack Obama | commander2 = Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi | units1 = Delta Force | units2 = Unknown | strength1 = two dozen special forces operators | strength2 = Unknown | casualties1 = | casualties2 = At least 5 fighters killed Unknown wounded }} The 2014 American rescue mission in Syria was a mission to rescue two dozen foreigners, including two American journalists,Islamic State says it executed British aid worker held by the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) during the Syrian Civil War, U.S. forces launched an operation in an attempt to rescue them.Official: U.S. attempt to rescue James Foley, others in Syria failed The operation On 4 July 2014, after midnight, U.S. air strikes were conducted against the ISIS military base known as the "Osama bin Laden Camp". At the same time, two dozen special operations members parachuted from helicopters near an ISIS building for high-valued prisoners. After landing on the ground, the soldiers blocked the main road towards Ar-Raqqah and assaulted the prison. However, no prisoners were found in the building. They then conducted house-to-house searches in Uqayrishah. At this time, ISIS forces from Ar-Raqqah started to arrive and a three-hour firefight ensued. During the fighting, militants also directed RPG fire at U.S. aircraft, but were unsuccessful.U.S. belatedly reports rescue operation for U.S. hostages in Syria Eventually, U.S. forces came to the conclusion that the hostages were no longer at the site and abandoned the rescue attempt. At least 5 ISIS fighters were killed and a U.S soldier was wounded. Jordanian forces were also reportedly involved in the operation with one Jordanian soldier also wounded, but this was not confirmed. Later it was reported the hostages had been moved 24 hours before the attempted rescue. It remained unclear whether the operation failed due to bad intelligence or whether ISIS forces were alerted in advance of the mission.Rising danger prompted U.S. effort to rescue James Foley, other hostages Aftermath Over a month after the operation, the American journalist, James Foley, was executed. In the following weeks and months, the other American, journalist Steven Sotloff, as well as British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, were all executed. American Peter Kassig was shown in a video as the next intended victim.Video: Islamic State Group Beheads British Hostage ISIS also held British journalist John Cantlie, who they used for propaganda purposes.Isis video shows British hostage delivering propaganda message The disclosure of the failed hostage rescue attempt of James Foley and Steven Joel Sotloff has been criticized by Congressman Buck McKeon, among others, claiming that carrying out similar S. military operations in the future would face greater risk. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said that the operation was disclosed by the White House after consultation with the Pentagon and because news media were preparing to leak the story otherwise. See also *2014 American intervention in Syria *Syrian Civil War Notes References Category:Battles of the Syrian Civil War Category:Conflicts in 2014 Category:2014 in Syria Category:Military operations involving the United States Category:Battles involving the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant